HONG KONG’S Shangri-La International Hotel Management has commenced the gradual but total phase-out of its 25-year-old Traders Hotel brand, replacing it with the four-star Hotel Jen targeted at younger travellers.

The two-pronged approach includes the debut of 500-room Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore on September 15, followed by the rebranding of the Traders Hotel, Singapore.

Lothar W Nessmann, COO, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “The timing is right, given research findings showing the travel patterns and needs of this new-generation traveller who is tech-savvy, not just with a Millennial mindset but also young at heart. The Hotel Jen brand is inspired by the virtual persona Jen, a professional hotelier who loves life, travel and the adventure of discovering new places.”

Guests are conceptualised as “friends of Jen”, and staff act as the guest’s own personal local lifestyle guide. Free Wi-Fi and mobile charging stations will be available throughout the hotel.

Shangri-La will be converting nine existing Traders properties in phase one namely, Singapore (September 25), Hong Kong (October 8), Brisbane (October 2), Penang (November 5), Johor Bahru (November 19), Manila (December 3), Male (January 14, 2015), Upper East Beijing (March 4, 2015) and Shenyang (March 11, 2015).

Shangri-La’s regional sales office will roll out a marketing campaign for Hotel Jen within the next 10 days, followed by trade seminar and roadshows in China, Australia and Singapore soon. A new website with Mandarin and Japanese language options is available and it is building a B2B platform.

Nessman said China is the main focus for Hotel Jen’s expansion in Asia but Shangri-La is also looking at Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia and Thailand.

SUZHOU, known as the ‘Venice of China’ for its ancient waterways, is now home to a new Hyatt Regency hotel.

Located in the Suzhou Industrial Park, the hotel is part of mixed-use development Jinghope Plaza that also features a luxury shopping mall, entertainment venues, and two Grade-A office buildings.

From Hyatt Regency Suzhou, Shanghai is 25 minutes away by train, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is one hour by car, and Suzhou SIP Railway Station is a 10-minute drive away.

“We are thrilled that Hyatt Regency Suzhou is now part of this vibrant community. The opening of Hyatt Regency Suzhou is a strategic step for Hyatt as we grow our brand presence in China,” said Christopher Koehler, vice president of operations ­– China, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts.

The hotel offers 355 guestrooms and suites. Rooms start at 40m² and come with large-screen LED TVs, free Wi-Fi Internet access, coffee and tea sets, oversized tables for working or dining on, and a bathtub in the toilet.

Suites begin at 90m² and feature separate living and dining areas, a free-standing window bathtub. Guests will enjoy access to the Regency Club lounge on the 28^th floor where breakfast, all-day refreshments, and evening cocktails will be served; while express check-in/out and concierge services are also available.

Guests can enjoy dining options at the five on-property restaurants and lounges: Hua Chi 88 for authentic Suzhou, Huaiyang, and Taihu Boat cuisines as well as Peking Duck, with six private dining rooms; The Fireplace is an international grill restaurant; the modern Tea House that transforms into a bar by night; The Atrium for informal meetings and gatherings; and Market Café on the second floor.

Hyatt Regency Suzhou offers more than 1,400m² for events. The Residence events venue comprises four multipurpose rooms that can host up to 360 guests, while the dedicated Loft Kitchen is fully equipped for dining experiences. The 580m² Regency Ballroom will accommodate up to 450 people for cocktail events and 340 for private dining events.

For relaxation, the Yue Spa at Hyatt Regency Suzhou comes with six private spa suites, two reflexology areas, and hydrotherapy facilities including Roman-style baths and a steam room. An indoor swimming pool and 24-hour gym round up the hotel’s wellness offerings.

ACCOR has signed an agreement to manage the new Sydney International Convention Centre (ICC) hotel on Darling Harbour, which will complete construction in 2Q2017.

Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour forms part of the New South Wales government’s A$2.5 billion (US$2.3 billion) transformation of Darling Harbour, which includes the creation of Sydney’s new convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct.

Accor Pacific COO, Simon McGrath, said: “With Sofitel’s continued growth in Asia-Pacific and projects such as Sofitel So Singapore, Sofitel So Auckland and Sofitel Wellington, Accor is on track to become a global leader in the luxury hotel space. This new flagship hotel complements a strong network for the brand in this region and we look forward to welcoming Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour to our luxury portfolio.”

The New South Wales government and property and infrastructure group Lend Lease announced today that renowned Australian hotel owner, Jerry Schwartz, has signed a conditional agreement to purchase the convention centre hotel, to be developed by Lend Lease.

“We believe that the new Darling Harbour precinct will be one of the world’s most exciting urban renaissance projects with the new ICC Sydney and the upgrades to the neighbouring Pyrmont, Ultimo and Haymarket districts set to make Darling Harbour a first-choice destination for business, convention and leisure travellers,” said Schwartz.

Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour will offer roughly 600 guestrooms to support ICC Sydney and the city’s growing demand for accommodations when it is open in 2017.

OUTBOUND Chinese travellers are splurging on skiing holiday overseas, driven by the higher prices at home.

According to a report on outbound ski travel, entrance fees for China’s ski resorts are higher than those in Europe despite featuring gentler slopes, smaller parks and fewer cable cars.

Hidden China Beijing Office head, Christoph Mueller, explained that as skiing is a relatively pricey sport in China, outbound travellers, who have higher purchasing power, are willing to spend RMB25,000 (US$4,063) to RMB35,000 per trip on average.

Skiing is usually one highlight out of a typical 10-day itinerary that also includes sightseeing and shopping.

Neighbouring Japan is the most popular skiing destination for the Chinese while Canada, with its strong commercial and ethnic ties with China, comes in second. Europe has yet to feature as a top skiing destination.

Industry players interested in wooing the China market should offer holistic packages for non-FITs, and for a fixed price include basic services such as airport pick-ups, guided tours in Mandarin, and 10-day itineraries detailing three days of skiing, three days of sightseeing, and two days of shopping and spa treatments.

Pandering to visual and aesthetic considerations, publicity materials for China’s outbound ski vacation market could feature smiley faces, scenery and gentle skiing slopes, as China’s skiers are novices particularly concerned about safety.

According to the same report, China’s skiing population numbers closer to 15 million than the officially reported 20 million, with the majority being novice skiers rather than experts.

Sales reports also note the sale of 100,000 pairs of skis annually, implying an estimated 20,0000 to 30,0000 outbound travellers genuinely motivated by skiing.

Article by Nadia Chung. Translated by Ong Yanchun from the original TTG China e-Daily, August 21, 2014.

THE UAE’S amended visa rules have allowed travellers from India, Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States, South Africa, and Brazil to obtain multiple-entry cruise or medical tourism visas since August 1.

The 200 dirham (US$54) cruise visas permit cruise passengers to sail out of the emirate’s Port Rashid and return on the same visa. Re-entry was not permissible previously.

Tariq Abdullah Al Hashimi, senior executive congress development, Dubai Convention Bureau, said: “The multiple-entry visa will allow conference delegates to go on post-tours to neighbouring countries and re-enter Dubai before departing. Incentive groups on cruises are very popular so land extensions will be added upon re-entry.”

Meanwhile, Dubai has announced that medical tourism visas will cost 550 dirhams for entry and 1,400 dirhams for a multiple-entry permit, with costs applicable to the patient’s companions.

Visa renewal is priced at 500 dirhams for the patient and 600 dirhams for companions.

Sunny Augustine, managing director of White Sands Tours & Travel Dubai, explained the appeal of Dubai as a medical tourism hub: “Since Dubai is a shorter flight than South-east Asia or India and has more leisure options, medical tourism is booming. The facilities are state-of-the-art too.”

Sanjay Kothari, managing director, Just Holidays Kolkata, said: “The multiple-entry visa frees up many logistical problems when designing and executing land-cruise itineraries involving the UAE. Besides the cost, it is the convenience that will encourage tourists to visit the region more. Medical tourism facilities on Sadiyat Island will attract medical tourists from Russia and Western Europe.”

THE Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Moscow Office and 13 major tour operators in Russia are rolling out promotions and new charter flights next month to bring high-end Russian travellers into the South-east Asian nation for the winter season.

Thawatchai Arunyik, TAT governor, said in a press release: “We expect that these special winter charter flights and a range of exciting winter promotions that will be launched and promoted in September, will help to encourage travellers from Russia and countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to make a trip to Thailand. Russia and CIS are one of the largest markets to Thailand.”

The NTO is introducing some 3,240 charters from 35 cities across Russia and the CIS, including Moscow, St Petersburg, Kiev, Almaty and Astana, to take tourists to a range of Thai cities such as Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi.

Despite US- and Europe-imposed sanctions on Russia for its role in the political unrest in Ukraine, Russian arrivals to Thailand have not wavered (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 18, 2014).

Russian arrivals totalled one million from January to July 2014, a 6.5 per cent year-on-year increase, but posted 32.7 per cent growth for full-year 2013 with 1.7 million arrivals.

Said Thawatchai: “For the entire 2014, TAT expects the number of visitor arrivals from Russia to total 1.9 million, or a 9.8 per cent increase over 2013.”

HELICOPTERS could be a new option for tourists travelling in Myanmar if Airbus proceeds with plans to roll out helicopter rental services.

Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff, vice president and commercial director of Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia, said Airbus is aiming to bring in a number of helicopters to Myanmar to begin rentals by end-2014.

“Our first target (in importing helicopters) was Myanmar’s rapidly growing oil and gas industry. But now we hope that soon a few helicopters will come for tourism as well,” he said to TTG Asia e-Daily.

“If passengers want to go to a place which is quite far or difficult to get to, they can fly over or stop somewhere to enjoy a picnic or an excursion. This type of service is only offered by hot air balloons with limited capabilities right now in Myanmar. So we would like to develop these services but with helicopters instead.”

“The idea for tourism is that visitors can book helicopters through the hotel or travel agencies, and take a helicopter to their desired destinations.”

Sinai-Sinelnikoff said an official announcement would be made in future.

IMPERIAL Samui Beach Resort will be converted to Sheraton Samui Resort, Koh Samui by the end of this year, expanding the Sheraton footprint in Thailand.

Starwood’s newest convert in Thailand is a 15-minute drive from Samui International Airport and situated on Chaweng Noi Beach on the east coast of Koh Samui, a short distance away from shopping and entertainment area Chaweng town.

The resort offers 141 guestrooms and when rebranding is finished, will offer a gym, Kids’ Club, the all-day dining Feast eatery, Sky Light Lounge, Tara Restaurant, a freshwater swimming pool and saltwater swimming pool with views of the Gulf of Thailand.

The property is owned by TCC Hotels Group, and Sheraton Samui Resort will be the seventh project Starwood is managing for the group.

Matthew Fry, senior vice president of acquisitions & development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia-Pacific, said: “Starwood has developed a conversion-friendly strategy for existing hotels to meet the demands of owners and guests. With our powerful platforms, we are able to help our partners reposition existing assets in a cost-effective manner.

“Given that many are well-located but under-branded hotels, they present untapped opportunities for Starwood and is another channel for our growth. Thailand has already seen three conversions in the past few years.”